No, Showmark Media, I Do Not Want Your Plaque

One of the things I hate about Mondays is they usually begin with a million emails. Today I woke up to find this email in my box:

Hmmmm. Yes, it’s true, I was selected as a 2012 “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers this year. However, I’m not aware of anyone saying I’m a “Top Young Attorney”. And I don’t think that Showmark Media is in any way affiliated with Super Lawyers, either. So while I’m flattered that Showmark Media, whoever they are, thinks I’m a “Top Young Attorney”, I’m not interested in buying their plaque. So I ignored the email.

Then at 9:22am I received this email:

Mr. A. Jordan Rushie,

Just following up to see if you would like to order your plaque?
To continue and complete your order, please click the link below.

Amazingly, I received a 5th email from you today at 10:54am asking me to buy the plaque.

This is a total of 5 emails I have received today. Is that necessary? I don’t know how you got my email address or, more importantly, why you thought it would be okay to contact me 5 times in one day asking about a plaque.

To answer your question, let me be clear — no, I don’t want the plaque. I can only assume your unsolicited email was in response to my selection as a 2012 Super Lawyers Rising Star. Given that’s the case, I don’t think it’s fair, or even ethical, to hang something in my office that says I’m a “Top Young Attorney.” No entity has ever determined that I am a “top young attorney”, except maybe my wife who thinks I’m really cool, and my cats because I feed them.

I hope you understand.

So in case you don’t get it, Showmark Media, I do not want your plaque. You can stop emailing me. Thank you.

Just received a similar email from Showmark. They want me to buy a plaque that represents our parent company’s accolades as published in Fortune. A quick Google search brought me upon your page. Do I dare unsubscribe or will that simply pull me into the endless black hole of additional spam?

I just received a similar plaque offer from Showmark for allegedly being “recognized as A Top Lawyer in California, as published in American Lawyer Media, June 2013.” When I inquired about exactly what ALM had published, they sent me this reply:

Hi Mr. Limbach,

Our apologies, we meant to send this recognition to attorneys with either the peer or client rating. According to our records, you are affiliated with one of the media sites in The ALM Network which include the law.com network and all publications and media sources mentioned in their network but you did not have their rating which was the basis for this plaque.

Sorry.
Jennie

Really?!? They “inadvertently” went from me being “affiliated with an ALM media site” (whatever that means, I don’t even subscribe) to me being “recognized as a Top California Lawyer, as published in June 2013″?!?

Interesting. I have kept a bunch of their solicitations and the first emails said “as published in American Lawyer Media.” The latest round say “as published in Lawyer Media.” I guess ALM already came down on them. Another fun tidbit, when doing an internet search, I found that there are lawyers who are using the “award” on their websites.

I also just received this exact email and wish I had read this entry before responding to see what I have just been elected to by my peers (!!). I’ll buy this plaque right after I buy a display case full of trophies and some medals on eBay. Sheesh!

Promo Code PC30 works for $30 off. Yes, they do spam you when you are selected for an award. In this case we were proud of our accomplishment and wanted a plaque. Not an attorney, or from the same publication.

I have decided to turn this into a drinking game. I will now start taking a shot every time I get an email from them following up with me to see if I want their plaque. I would say that I will post in a couple days to let you all know how it is going, but I have a feeling I will probably be too drunk to find this site again. :)

I got the email and tried to find “the Legal Network” online. Couldn’t find it. The plaque looks impressive, but getting an award from a nonexistent publication and putting it on your wall seems a bit tacky.

This was a fun read. I received a similar email and decided to investigate further. All I would like to add is an excerpt from their “Privacy Policy.” It reads as follows:

“Provisions relevant to Non U.S. users and Experts

Showmark operates the Service and processes personal information on computer servers located in the United States. Showmark may process and store personal information on computer servers located in other jurisdictions, for back-up, redundancy and other purposes that Showmark deems necessary to the operation of the Service.
You provide your explicit consent to the transfer of your personal information to the United States and other jurisdictions as described above and acknowledge that the laws concerning processing and storing personal information in those jurisdictions may differ from the laws of your home country.”

“transfer of your personal information to the United States and OTHER jurisdictions.” I like how they use legal lingo for other COUNTRIES that are not bound by federal rules and regulations.

Being an attorney I was very happy that I was offered a plaque and matching marquee for a reasonable price by Showmark. The quality is outstanding and I am satisfied. Most of the legal publications that offer the same products, contract the work out and charge double.
I would not be put off if Showmark does not work with the publications directly. Many companies make plaques and this is 100% legal.
What can I say,I like walking into my office seeing those plaques on my walls and best part is, since I am a returning customer ( 3 years now) I get a fantastic, unpublishable, price. Go for it!

Exactly how does putting a plaque on your wall help you anyway? If you think it attracts clients, why are you putting it on a wall that only actual clients or soon to be actual clients would see?
I suggest that we all print our email invitations about the plaque on something potential clients might see– such as the top of a garbage container near a train station, and give the $150 (plus shipping and handling) to someone who might really need that money such as a grievously wounded warrior, an abused woman, a homeless child.
I’m just saying. Lenny

There is a simple solution–I just marked my email from them as JUNK and they will never appear in my inbox again. When I empty my junk mail, it will be flushed along with all the other junk I get. But I bet they make a bunch of money selling phony vanity plaques. Degree mills selling phony degree make a mint so there is much money to be made appealing to human vanity.

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